BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters) - Corruption, whether in the form of crooked officials, financial fraudsters or even philandering sports stars, is tearing at the fabric of U.S. society and is the country’s No. 1 criminal threat, a senior FBI agent said on Tuesday.

Addressing businessmen in Florida, where financial fraud cases jumped by 42 percent in the last year, FBI Miami Division Special Agent in Charge John Gillies said failures in personal ethics and integrity sowed the initial poisonous seeds of corruption in a society.

Gillies said transgressions by high-profile public servants and even perceived social role models, like top golfer Tiger Woods, currently embroiled in allegations that he had extramarital affairs, sent the signal to young Americans that cheating and stealing were acceptable.

“Where do our children learn this? They see us, their elected officials, their sports stars, they see how they act and they figure, ‘well it’s OK,’” he said, citing the case of Woods, whose early morning car accident in Florida last month triggered a storm of media questioning of his clean-living reputation.

“Money can’t buy everything,” Gillies said in a speech to the West Boca Chamber of Commerce in Boca Raton, Florida.

The special agent, who manages high-profile cases in Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America, in no way suggested Woods had committed any criminal offenses.

Florida police issued Woods a ticket for careless driving last week and said no criminal charges would be filed. He quickly paid the $164 fine, his lawyer said. Police also said no allegations of domestic violence were leveled.

Gillies, a 27-year veteran of the FBI, called corruption in all its multiple forms, whether in law enforcement or in the judicial system, or involving tax cheats and fraudsters, “our number one criminal threat” in the United States.

“It really gets at the soul and fabric of the United States when people are out there corrupting … it all starts with simple ethics violations,” Gillies said.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

He said public corruption investigations by the FBI were “huge” and had increased by more than 20 percent in the last five years, while financial scams — from securities and hedge fund frauds to Ponzi schemes — had jumped by more than 25 percent nationwide in the last year alone.

These cases involved hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars.

Florida in particular has been rocked by a number of high-profile Ponzi schemes this year, including fallout from the cases surrounding convicted Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff and accused Texas financier Allen Stanford.

Gillies’ FBI team last week arrested a flamboyant Fort Lauderdale attorney, Scott Rothstein, and charged him with bilking investors out of $1.2 billion in a Ponzi scheme that funded his luxury lifestyle and political largess.

Rothstein, now disbarred, has pleaded not guilty.

Asked why the “Sunshine State” of Florida appeared to be so increasingly prone to financial scams, Gillies told Reuters the concentration of money in the wealthy Southeast state was “the number one” factor.

He said a high concentration of out-of-state Americans and foreigners was also a factor.

In his speech, Gillies also cited the economic recession as a contributing feature, as many victims were — often blindly, often out of greed — seeking to improve returns on money and investments in hard financial times.

He said offers of 15, 20, 25 percent returns in a recession should be an automatic “red flag” of possible fraud.

For those frustrated by diminished earnings eroded by the crisis the FBI veteran offered the following caveat against temptation: “The worst day at work is still better than the best day in jail.”

Reason for this Page

Studies estimate that 50% of elderly American are victims of financial exploitation while only 4% to 15% case are ever reported. Financial swindles are one of the fastest growing forms of abuse of the elderly according to NCEA.

Fraud, Duress, Deception and Trickery -

An example of fraud is the situation where one influences a testator that another relative has stirred up trouble....statements.

Financial exploitation should be considered if the patient has suddenly transferred assets to a family member.

Isolation Means:

1. Acts of intentionally committed for the purpose of preventing and that do serve to prevent, an elder or dependent from receiving their mail or phone calls.

Elder Abuse = Death

Because older victims usually have fewer support systems and reserves—physical, psychological, and economic—the impact of abuse and neglect is magnified, and a single incident of mistreatment is more likely to trigger a downward spiral leading to loss of independence, a serious complicating illness, and even death.

Spiritual Quotes -

Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long."

John 8:32
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Leviticus 19:32
"Rise in the presense of the aged, show respect for the elderly."

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17
"For the sake of respect, honor, veneration and indeed pride is said to be of ... superiors like the father and mother, and in cleanliness, simplicity, and nonviolence."

Other Notables Quotes

Robinson Jeffers
"The heads of strong old age are beautiful beyond all grace of youth."

Pindar (522 BC - 443 BC)
A graceful and honorable old age is the childhood of immortality.

Carol Matthau
There is no old age. There is, as there always was, just you.

Booth Tarkington (1869 - 1946)"Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age."

Gloria Pitzer
About the only thing that comes to us without effort is old age.

"Make wisdom your provision for the journey from youth to old age, for it is a more certain support than all other possessions."

General Disclaimer

The stories that appear on this blog are said to be true and have been submitted by people who are victims or have had a loved one victimized. ElderAbuseHelp.Org , its Editor or Contributors have no first hand knowledge of the stories published . These are versions of events based upon the alleged declarations of aggrieved parties, and no final judgment and/or outcome can be obtained without a full and and complete investigation. We urge you to report all offenses or suspetced offences to your local and state law enforcement authorities and keep careful notes of all events.

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